Table of Contents
Obesity and Lack of Fitness
Being overweight is a consistent risk factor for CTS. Greater body mass appears to reduce the speed of nerve messages into the hand. Obesity is also related to poor physical fitness, which may increase risk. Weight is strongly linked to CTS in patients under age 63, but it may be a less important factor as people get older.
Specific Workers at Risk for CTS
Workers who use their hands and wrists repetitively are at risk for CTS, particularly if they work in cold temperatures and have factors or medical conditions that make them susceptible to the condition.
Computer Users and Typists. Repetitive typing and key entry has traditionally been associated with missing work due to CTS. The risk for CTS in this group, however, is still much lower than it is in occupations involving heavy labor. Although more than 10% of computer users complain of CTS symptoms, the evidence implicating computer use as a major cause of CTS is weak.
Other Very High-Risk Workers. Workers in the meat and fish packing industries and those who assemble airplanes have the highest risk for CTS, according to one study. Meat packers complained of pain and loss of hand function as long ago as the 1860s. Even today, the incidence of carpal tunnel syndrome in the meat, poultry, and fish packing industries may be as high as 15%. CTS may also affect as many as 10% of automobile workers.
Musicians. Musicians are at very high risk for CTS and other problems related to the muscles and nerves in the hands, upper trunk, and neck. In one study, 20% of musicians reported CTS or other nerve disorders in the hands and wrists.
Highest to Lowest Numbers of CTS Events by Job. The following is a list of occupations published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which rates workers with the highest to lowest total numbers of CTS-related events:
- Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers
- Customer service representatives
- First-line supervisors/office managers and administrative support workers
- Janitors, maids, and housekeepers
- Food service managers
- First-line supervisors/managers of retail sales workers
- Automotive service technicians and mechanics
- Executive secretaries and administrative assistants
- Financial managers
- Sewing machine operators
- Truck drivers
- Office clerks
- Accounting and auditing clerks
- Welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers
- Sheet metal workers
- Packers and packagers
- Computer software engineers
- Inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers
- Stock clerks and order fillers
- Tire repairers and changers
- Packaging and filling machine operators and tenders
SOURCE: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, November 2006
Workers' Compensation and CTS. The issues surrounding workers' compensation make it difficult to accurately determine whether labor conditions cause carpal tunnel pain. However, CTS is a major contributor to workers' compensation cases.
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Review Date: 02/17/2011
Reviewed By: Harvey Simon, MD, Editor-in-Chief, Associate Professor of Medicine,
Harvard Medical School; Physician, Massachusetts General Hospital.
Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M.,
Inc.
A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org)
